IN BRIEF:

Always a symbol of status

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Oct 11, 2013, DHNS:,

Oct 10 2013, 21:01pm ist

updated: Oct 10 2013, 21:01pm ist

Branded fountain and ballpoint pens have no dearth of takers in India. In today’s age of computers, mobiles, laptops, iPads and other sundry gadgets, people are still buying pens, and that too expensive ones. No doubt, luxury pens are a delight for pen connoisseurs and a collector’s item, they are also becoming an important accessory and a gifting item too.

“Luxury pens are like accessories. Men are buying pens to pair them with clothes, or wear them for occasions,” says Pradeep, manager, Penz solutions. “It’s pretty much a man thing, for now. It is mainly purchased by men as a gift for men. The trend is catching up fast in the corporate sector,” says he.

So, pens are not being bought as a writing instrument. It is more like buying a high-end wristwatch, in which men would like to indulge. So, they don’t even mind buying the embellished ones. All they need is to make a statement.

Therefore, in the recent years, several international luxury pen makers have come in to grab a share of the market. Finest brands like Mont Blanc (Germany), S.T Dupont (France), Cross (USA), Sailor (Japan), Caran d'Ache (Switzerland), Conway Stewart (Britain), Waterman and Sheaffer (both US) are now available in the country. “High-end pens fall under different categories.

The luxury pens cost anywhere between Rs 15,000 and Rs 40,000. Some limited edition pens can cost up to Rs One crore,” says Pradeep.

According to him, the luxury pen segment in India is growing and a good brand or a designer pen is a latest must have for those working in big firms and that too on good positions. “Consumers falling into the 51 years and above age bracket buy the highest number of such pens,” he says.

Though the pen market is promising, he gives a piece of advice, “Buying a luxury pens is more like a financial investment, so one needs to be careful and not to be confused by buzzwords and phrases like “deluxe collection”.

Sometimes ‘special edition’ pens doesn’t necessarily mean they’re more valuable: for instance, a ‘limited’. They may have a production run of 100,000 units or more! If you are searching for ‘numbered limited editions’ then look for those pens where each unit is specifically marked with its production rank,” says he.

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